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An 85-year Harvard study on happiness found the No. 1 retirement challenge that ‘no one talks about’
In 1938, Harvard researchers embarked on a study that continues to this day to find out: What makes us happy in life?
The researchers gathered health records from 724 people from all over the world, asking detailed questions about their lives at two-year intervals.
As participants entered mid- and late-life, the Harvard Study often asked about retirement. Based on their responses, the No. 1 challenge people faced in retirement was not being able to replace the social connections that had sustained them for so long at work.
Retirees don’t miss working, they miss the people
When it comes to retirement, we often stress about things like financial concerns, health problems and caregiving.
But people who fare the best in retirement find ways to cultivate connections. And yet, almost no one talks about the importance of developing new sources of meaning and purpose.
One participant, when asked what he missed about being a doctor for nearly 50 years, answered: “Absolutely nothing about the work itself. I miss the people and the friendships.”
Leo DeMarco, another participant, had a similar feeling: After he retired as a high school teacher, he found it hard to stay in touch with his colleagues.
“I get spiritual sustenance from talking shop. It’s wonderful to help someone acquire skills,” he said. “Teaching young people was what started my whole process of exploring.”
Taking on hobbies might not be enough
For many of us, work is where we feel that we matter most — to our workmates, customers, communities, and even to our families — because we are providing for them.
Henry Keane was abruptly forced into retirement by changes at his factory. Suddenly he had an abundance of time and energy.
He started volunteering at the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He put time into his hobbies — refinishing furniture and cross-country skiing. But something was still missing.
“I need to work!” Keane told the researchers at age 65. “Nothing too substantial, but I’m learning that I just love being around people.”
To retire happy, invest in your relationships now
Keane’s realization teaches us an important lesson not only about retirement, but about work itself: We are often shrouded in financial concerns and the pressure of deadlines, so we don’t notice how significant our work relationships are until they’re gone.
To create more meaningful connections, ask yourself:
Who are the people I most enjoy working with, and what makes them valuable to me? Am I appreciating them?
What kinds of connections am I missing that I want more of? How can I make them happen?
Is there someone I’d like to know better? How can I reach out to them?
If I’m having conflict with a coworker, what can I do to alleviate it?
Who is different from me in some way (thinks differently, comes from a different background, has a different expertise)? What can I learn from them?
At the end of the day, notice how your experiences might affect your sense of meaning and purpose. It could be that this influence is, on balance, a good one. But if not, are there any small changes you can make?
“When I look back,” Ellen Freund, a former university administrator, told the study in 2006, “I wish I paid more attention to the people and less to the problems. I loved my job. But I think I was a difficult and impatient boss. I guess, now that you mention it, I wish I got to know everyone a little better.”
Every workday is an important part of our personal experience, and the more we enrich it with relationships, the more we benefit. Work, too, is life.
注释：
embark: v
1. 表示"着手"，means "set out on (an enterprise or subject of study)"，如：When we embark on any task, it is important that we start well. 当我们从事任何工作时，好的开始是很重要的。
2. 表示" 乘船"，means "go on board"，如： Passengers with cars must embark first. 带汽车的乘客必须先上船。
sustenance: n
1. 表示"食物"，means "food"，如： The urban homeless are often in desperate need of sustenance.
城市里无家可归的人极其需要食物来维持生命。
2.表示" 营养"，means "a source of materials to nourish the body"，如： She is weak from lack of sustenance.她因缺乏营养而虚弱。
3.表示"生计"，means "the act of sustaining life by food or providing a means of subsistence"，如： He gave money for the sustenance of a poor family. 他把钱给一穷人家维持生活。
shroud: v; n
1. v表示"笼罩，披上"，means "cover or hide"，如：The whole jail was shrouded in darkness. 整座监狱笼罩在黑暗之中。
2. n表示"裹尸布"，means "cloth wrapped round a corpse"，如：The doctor wanted us to use the sheet for a shroud. 医生想让我们用床单当裹尸布。
alleviate: v
表示" 减轻"，means " make (sth) less severe; ease"，如： They alleviated the boredom of waiting by singing songs. 他们以唱歌来减轻等候的厌烦。
中文简要说明：
一项历时长达85年的哈佛大学研究显示，退休人士生活中的最大挑战并不是时间太多或失去生活目标，而是怀念工作中认识的人和社交生活。
美国CNBC报导，1938年，哈佛大学展开一项探究什么让人类生活快乐的研究，这项研究持续追踪、访问全球724名受访者的生活至今，每两年调查一次。当受访者迈入中老年后，研究人员也开始了解他们的退休生活，根据他们的回答，令人意外的是，这些退休人士面临的最大挑战竟然不是生活失去重心、财务问题、健康问题等，也不是怀念工作，他们最怀念的是工作中认识的人，不能复制长久以来在工作中支撑他们的社会关系成为最大挑战。
其中一名工作50年的退休医生表示，自己绝对不怀念工作本身，但相当怀念那些人和情谊。高中退休老师德马科（Leo DeMarco）说，退休后他发现很难与同事保持联络，他说与人交谈让他得到精神上的支持，他也乐于助人习得一技之长。
■重拾兴趣可能不够
对许多人来说，工作可能是我们感觉自己最受重视的地方，基恩（Henry Keane）在工厂改组、被迫突然退休后开始到非营利组织担任志工，他也重拾兴趣，重新装修家具、滑雪，但他仍觉得少了些什么，65岁的他受访时表示「我需要工作」，他说退休后才意识到喜欢和人在一起。
■要愉快的退休生活，现在就开始投资人际关系
基恩的经验显示，还在工作时，人们经常笼罩在财务担忧及期限压力下，而忽略了工作关系的重要性。
报导指出，要建立更有意义的连结，可以问自己以下几个问题：
◎我最享受和哪些人一起工作？他们为何对我来说是重要的？我欣赏他们吗？
◎我最怀念、最希望有哪种更多的连结？我如何达成目标？
◎我想更深入认识哪些人？我如何和他们打成一片？
◎如果我和同事有摩擦，我如何缓和冲突？
◎哪些人和我不一样（包括想法、背景及专业领域）？我能从他们身上学到什么？
在工作结束的一天可以观察一下当天的经历如何影响自己，是否可以做出小改变？研究受访者、前大学教职员芙龙德（Ellen Freund）透露，当她回首工作生涯时，真心希望自己当年更关注身边的人而非面临的问题，「我爱我的工作，但我想我是一个比较难搞、没耐心的老板...我希望我能更认识每一个人。」
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